- We're back, series seven.
All the old gang are back.
Lovely Tessa Peake-Jones.
- Ta da!
- Amazing Al Weaver.
- Welcome.
- Lovely Casey Ainsworth.
And, of course, my best buddy and actor, Tom Brittney.
Tom Brittney, director?
- Now I'm confused.
- What, Tom Brittney's directing?
Oh, God.
Well, nobody told me.
It's a bloody outrage.
Who's he think he is, Peter Jackson?
Brittney?
Where are ya?
Gonna get my agent on the phone.
A lot of the directors we bring onto Grantchester are seasoned professionals, incredibly experienced.
But we've got one director; I checked out his CV, there was nothing on it.
It was just a blank page.
Yeah, a guy called Tom Brittney.
- Shoot it, I love it!
- He's fantastic.
And all of us, I think I can say, loved working with him.
(laughs) - I had to prove to the actors that I can do it.
I had to prove to them that I'd done my homework.
- You know, and everyone's kind of, 'cause we've all done it for so long, I think everyone was there to support him.
- I was there for Tom's first directing day.
- That was lovely, let's go for one more.
- And I just didn't look him in the eye, Didn't take a single note.
I said no to everything he suggested.
And it went fine.
- Yeah, plenty of ribbing, which can be frustrating.
I'm not gonna lie when I say the power has gone to his head.
But he's dealt with it well.
- Listen, I've just had enough of you.
Just a minute.
- Not on my set.
Not on my set!
(laughing) - To come onto a set like this, a primetime drama, and just step off the cliff is a real kind of, you know, ballsy act.
- You wicked, wicked boy!
- Mrs C, that's enough.
- What was really nice was working with him on set as the actor, and then at the same time him nipping then behind the camera to have a look, and then coming back again.
It was really exciting, and he's very, very good at it.
- Cut!
(crew speak over each other) - Oh, it's great.
Whether I'm an actor or now being on the other side of it is, you always want the set to be fun, professionally fun.
We sometimes push that boundary a little bit, me and Robson, and the rest of us.
- I was acting!
- Oh, sorry.
(laughing) - But we have fun and it was really important for me, 'cause I think you're the most creative when you're enjoying it.
See!
(clapping and carousing) - Tom Brittney!
You make it fun, Tom!
(laughing) (upbeat music)
